Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The few genetic dwarf peach and nectarine varieties available are really
novelty trees best suited for pots, patios, and ornamental gardens. The
dwarfing is due to very short spaces between leaves (internodes) which cre-
ate dense foliage and closely spaced fruits. Yields are very low, and you
must thin excessively to avoid what has been described as “thumbnail-sized”
fruits. The management of pests and diseases is complicated by the densely
clustered foliage and fruits. Dwarfing in apple, pear, and cherry is accom-
plished by grafting vigorous varieties onto low-vigor rootstocks. The dwarf-
ing is due to the genetics of the rootstock and does not result in the very
short internodes found in genetic dwarf peaches.
Another problem with high-density, central leader training for peaches
and nectarines is that the trees bear fruit on 1-year-old wood and must cre-
ate a lot of new fruiting wood each year to bear the following year's crop.
Fairly large, long-lived scaffold branches bear this abundant fruiting wood.
Additionally, peach and nectarine trees have very upright growth habits that
best lend themselves to open center training. Peaches trained to central lead-
ers require extensive maintenance and are really going against their natural
form.
Depending on where you live, however, high-density peach systems might
be viable. In cold areas, where stem cankers and other diseases make for
short-lived peach trees, high early yields can be important for profitability. In
Ontario, peach growers have largely adopted central leader and spindle (Fu-
setto) training systems, despite difficulties with maintaining the tree shapes
and increased stem canker diseases. Trials in New York, Georgia, and Arkan-
sas support the use of high-density plantings using variations on open cen-
ter training, including the perpendicular-V and quad-V designs (described
in chapter 12). Research done in New York suggests that 500 to 600 peach
trees per acre is the most profitable density for the northeastern United
States and eastern Canada.
